The 15th annual Straits Games will be held this year in Bali, Indonesia from August 17th-20th 2017. Gay Games Hong Kong 2022 proudly supports this endeavour and will be attending the event- showing our full support and helping to promote the spirit of the event- “Fostering Friendship and Promoting Healthy Lifestyles in the LGBT+ Community”.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Straits Games originally started in 2002 as a friendly annual sports event between the two countries along the straits of Malacca; Malaysia and Singapore.

Interest in The Straits Games rapidly grew, first from nearby countries and then going global. Participants now stream in from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, United States, Australia and the Netherlands.

Badminton, Bowling and Volleyball are the key sports played every year. Other sports played, depending on facilities available in the hosting country, are Swimming, Athletics, and Tennis, Squash, Track Fields, Ping Pong, Basketball, Park Fun Run, and Treasure Hunt.

Community social interaction is a key part of breaking cultural gaps, and as such some friendly, fun and extremely hot events are planned. From dancing at one of the sexiest clubs in Bali, to a tantalizing beach party and ending with a friendship-building Gala dinner with performances that are sure to keep you entertained!

In 2022, Hong Kong hopes to have the opportunity to host the Gay Games in Asia for the first time ever. Gay Games Hong Kong 2022 will be an empowering experience for all – anyone can participate- regardless of ability, age, sexual orientation, race, gender, nationality, political or religious beliefs, ethnic origins, or HIV status- and let their passion for sports bloom without fear of being judged or stigmatized. Show your support by following #GGHK2022 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

You should know by now how much social media affects not only your everyday choices, but business and commerce all around the world! All major brands have a steady and firm online presence on every important social media platform. This is why your business needs Prosperity Research Digital Agency (PRDA)– it’s the ultimate social media agency you need to boost your branding and attract more customers. Hiring an experienced agency can help your business remain popular and focus your marketing methods to a more targeted audience.

Techniques such as daily updates, photos or contests are always there to help users remember their favorite brands. But what does good content look like? Follow the 6 key traits listed below and there is no doubt you will see a positive difference in your content production.

Specific Audience

First of all, if you are trying to focus on every demographic, then you will not succeed. Good content should be focused with a specific group of people in mind. Before you ever write a word of content, take a moment to think carefully about exactly who your audience is and what you want them to do after reading it. Always provide a Call To Action, a direction that your reader should follow after reading your content.

Keyword Placement

The best way to attract the right audience to your post is to use the right keywords. For example, if you are writing about smoothie recipes, then the keywords you should use are smoothies, smoothie recipes, cool refreshment, healthy beverage, etc. Try not to repeat the same word(s) too frequently.

Overall Goal

Before you start writing, consider the topic from the viewer’s perspective. What benefit will your target audience receive from reading your content? When you answer this question, your content will be upgraded, and the quality of your article will have improved.

Keep it Interesting

People are often bored when trying to read long articles, with no photos and no key points. Try to provide your readers with some ‘fun’ elements to keep them entertained. Add photo’s, bullet points and structure that is appealing to the eye- and stay away from the wall of text!

Informative

Whatever the subject, your content should provide some new information that the reader doesn’t already know. Try adding some interesting facts or statistics in order to attract more readers.

Spread the Word

Your content could be magnificent; however, if not spread across the internet, no one will have the chance to read it. Make sure that you post to all of your social media profiles and even repost it a few days later. The more you distribute it, the more people will find it and read it.

As Asia’s first and leading social media agency, Prosperity Research Digital Agency (PRDA) has been in the business for over 10 years and provides a complete solution for all your Social Media Management. Reach out and contact them today for an estimate!

Recently Dr. Jane Goodall spoke to Runanga School students about the launch of the Roots & Shoots campaign, and encouraged children to fight back against chimpanzee and gorilla habitat loss. For those of you who haven’t heard about the Jane Goodall Institute before, let me share a little background about it.

Primatologist and renowned environmental activist is most famous for her work living alongside chimpanzees for several years in Tanzania in her early 20s. Her work led to several important discoveries, including that chimpanzees feel emotions and make and use tools. Eventually Goodall has founded the Jane Goodall Institute in order to fully dedicate herself and all of her recourses to the wildlife research and the education of young people. One of it’s main programs is Roots & Shoots. Its purpose is to educate people and help them care more about the environment and the future of our world.

Several different programs within Roots & Shoots, like the Hong Kong Beach Clean-up and Save the Gibbon, have helped the Dr. Jane Goodall Institute become successful amongst young people and students. Dr. Goodall’s own passion and love for nature is surely transmitting to young minds who want to make a difference and help the planet and all the creatures on it.

Wherever you are, you can show your support with a number of ways that will be much appreciated by this foundation. If your children are in Hong Kong, there is no greater way to improve their nature- awareness and help them do something unique that will inspire all of their lives. Even adults can participate, by simply filling in the online form. All you have to do is visit the official Jane Goodall Institute Hong Kong website and find a way to contribute to this great cause in your own way.

Being a mom, employed and traveling can make it challenging to get the exercise you need. Iso Fit knows how important healthy habits are for both mind and body- and how hard it can be to stick to your routine in busy times. Iso Fit is a studio in Central, Hong Kong that has a wide range of state of the art Pilates and GYROTONIC® equipment, along with both private instruction and group classes lead by expert instructors.

So what makes Pilates a mom’s workout of choice? While there is a long list of reasons for Mothers to do Pilates, we have picked out 3 for you.

No Excuses, Pilates is a Challenging Workout with Efficient Results

Many Mothers, and people in general, have a very busy schedule that is too packed to fit in everything – don’t neglect your health and well-being! Pilates workouts usually only take about an hour each session and can be booked according to your schedule. That being said they are quite intense, offering results you will see and feel quickly. The benefits for pre and post-natal mothers are well documented. Not only that, but you will feel a sense of accomplishment which will raise your productivity throughout the rest of the day.

Pure Enjoyment

The topic of postpartum depression is unfortunately still not discussed often, even in the modern world. Postpartum depression is very real, and many women suffer from it. That being said, Pilates can help with your recovery. Pilates exercise releases endorphins and gives you the energy you need to spend quality time with your loved ones. Pilates at Iso Fit will help you to achieve this.

Variety of Routines

One of the biggest issues with many exercising routines is that they quickly become boring and dull due to the repetition of movements. You’ll love every Pilates session at Iso Fit because the sessions are always challenging but never the same. The variety of exercises keeps you engaged and focused on your movements. Pilates is not about the repetition; it’s about the ability to make the movement properly.

Iso Fit’s expert team is able to tailor group or one-on-one private sessions to every client’s requirements, whether you are looking for prenatal/pregnancy Pilates or postnatal Pilates, to improve sports performance, or generally looking to improve your fitness and posture. They also have a physiotherapy clinic offering traditional physio services as well as clinical Pilates in Central, Hong Kong.

As I write this report from Rovato Italy, just hours after our arrival from New York, it’s hard to believe what we’ve achieved since my last report from the US West Coast.

First stop, Washington DC, and the colonial offices of the Hong Kong Government Economic and Trade Office. What an impressive setting for Hong Kong Commissioner Clement Leung to formally introduce the Asian Youth Orchestra to the Washington diplomatic corps. So glad that AYO Board Chairman Jim Thompson could be with us!

Second night out, the Asian Youth Orchestra’s concert in the stunning Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center, a venue that accommodates as many as 7,000 concertgoers, some seated close to the Orchestra, others taking up lawn seating stretching far into the night, AYO’s Don Juan and Beethoven 7 winning standing ovation after standing ovation, the headline in the Washington Post review reading, “Asian Youth Orchestra performs with precision,” the reviewer giving special mention to the “diaphanous clarinet and oboe soloists” in Don Juan, the musicians as a whole “moving with well-drilled unity in the fanfare-like statements of the main theme, brilliant horns representing the dashing hero.”

“Pontzious’ old-school interpretation of Beethoven’s seventh symphony was enjoyable in the slower tempo choices and broad style. The musicians responded with a performance that felt dutiful and deliberate in the first movement. The slow movement did not plod, and the third movement was a pleasing combination of playful scherzo and leisurely trio. Not pushing the finale’s tempo to extremes gave crisp definition to the frenetic main theme.”

Third-day out and we’re on the road again, a 10-hour bus ride from DC to the Brevard Music Center, a gentle mist welcoming us to this North Carolina rainforest and its scattered collection of cabins and bungalows. Ten minutes away on the fourth East Coast day we settle in for yet another sellout concert, this one played in an elegant colonial style concert hall, Porter Center. What a beautiful stage, with excellent acoustics, and such a great audience, again showing their appreciation with standing ovations for our soloist Sarah Chang and the Asian Youth Orchestra.

Day five and the question of the day, “Will our caravan of three buses ever get to our hotel in New York?” 15 hours later and we have the answer. What a ride, and what a welcome feeling to put head to pillow that night.

Day six and our final US concert of our world tour, once again our AYO musicians are performing to standing ovations, this time in the 2000-seat Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Long Island. A major thanks to the New York Director Joanne Chu and her team from the HK Economic and Trade Office for supporting AYO’s New York concert.

Exactly one week from our arrival in Washington DC we board the flights that will take us across the Atlantic for three weeks of concerts in Europe. Once again the long bus rides, the late hours and the demands of performance have left us exhausted but thrilled to be making great music and headlines for Hong Kong. Among those headlines are these from the Daily Californian:

“Asian Youth Orchestra educates, exhilarates at Zellerbach Hall”

“The drive of a professional symphony orchestra and a good-natured excitement that reflected the youth of the players.

The Asian Youth Orchestra’s “list of accomplishments is built almost singlehandedly by the program’s intense dedication to education above all else, a factor that especially shone through in Saturday night’s performance.”

“Pontzious would often point at a specific musician, four or five chairs behind the first, and physically summon more fervor from them before turning to a different section and conducting only those musicians for the next couple of bars. It wasn’t before long that the audience realized it wasn’t just watching a performance on stage, it was watching a workshop — an educational experience in literal motion.”

Serve up Scan’s tasty flower-fed pork for supper tonight with these yummy quick-fix recipes! Scan’s award-winning flower-fed pork has been featured in over 40 restaurants across Hong Kong and is now available at many ParknShop TASTE Supermarkets throughout Hong Kong. This is a great time to try delicious, juicy and tender Nordic pork, which is simple to cook to perfection, in any of your favorite recipes.

Spicy Grilled Pork Tenderloin With Blackberry Sauce

Get Grilling! Jerk seasoning brings the heat in this pork tenderloin recipe while the sweet blackberry sauce keeps the flavor from becoming too overwhelming.

Whisk blackberry preserves, Dijon mustard, orange juice and zest together in a small saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Whisk throughout the cooking process, you want your sauce smooth!

Push rice mixture to sides of pan, forming a well in center. Add an egg to center of pan, cook 30 seconds, then toss with rice mixture and stir-fry everything together until egg is cooked. Add in the soy sauce and water; cook another minute, stirring your meal together.

Serve hot.

No matter if you prefer your pork with a little extra heat or a little extra sweet; or whatever your favorite flavoring may be, Scan’s flower-fed Omega 3 pork is the way to go! The premium pork you and your family deserve.

Iso Fit will have all the new fall colors, and styles from Toe Sox and Tavi Noir on August 1st, 2017! Iso Fit is a fitness facility that offers an array of Gyrotonic and Pilates exercise in a comfortable and safe environment in Central, Hong Kong. They have partnered with T8 Fitness to stock a large selection of premium five toe grip socks for all your Pilates, Yoga and Dance needs. Click here to learn more about ToeSox and Tavi Noir’s new 2017 Fall collections!

Knowing the unique challenges that startups and growing businesses face – big pressure on strict budgets, compressed timelines and a million things to do on a daily basis – BrandCafé has put together branding packages that can get you a beautiful, stylish new logo and website both affordably and quickly, so you can better promote your brand and build your business. Ready to rebrand? Click here for some tips on a successful brand refresh.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Asian Youth Orchestra, it is time to learn more about them and the exquisite work that they are doing! AYOHK is a Hong Kong based orchestra that is always trying to find new ways to improve their overall performance and take their musical talent to a whole new level.

Each year the orchestra goes on a major world tour around many continents and this year the young aspiring artists will visit Asia, North America, and Europe and perform in more than twenty different cities. This year Vadim Repin, violinist, will star in several of the concerts being performed in Europe, click here to read the full article.

Gay Games: Community Sport, Culture and Education Event led by the LGBT+ Community

The Gay Games are so much more than a rainbow-colored Olympics, it focuses on acceptance of all, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and sporting abilities. The term ‘Gay Games’ can be a little confusing to some, as this community sport, culture and education event is not just for the LGBT+ community. Gay Games Hong Kong 2022 will happily welcome anyone and everyone who loves sports, community and cultural events to participate!

It is notable that Hong Kong is the first city in Asia to ever be shortlisted- all thanks to the local LGBT+ community and especially thanks to the hard work of local LGBT+ group Out in HK.

Lost Lao Wai

Lost Laowai China Expat CommunityThe no-nonsense China expat and traveller community. Everything you need to know about travelling to China; living, teaching and working in China; and learning Chinese.